Volume 1, Issue 1 PeacePowerPeacePower Summer 2005 Berkeley’s Journal of Principled Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation Also in this Issue: Gandhi’sGandhi’s SaltSalt Satyagraha:Satyagraha: ThenThen andand NowNow Meditation as Education

The Disease Called Violence

The Israeli Refusnik Movement

Badshah Khan: The Muslim Gandhi?

Abolish the Death Penalty!

Could Nonviolence “Succeed” in Iraq?

art: Rafael Matias Langer-Osuna PeacePower The Power to Transform a Culture calpeacepower.org If you ask five pageant contestants army, a revolutionary approach to con- Volume 1, Issue 1 • Summer 2005 the one thing they would wish for, at flict that challenges the defunct para- least four will say world peace. But if digm that tries to convince us that the Editorial Staff you ask five people what peace is, you only way to defend a community or Antonio Castillo will get at least six answers. change society is through armed force. Sarah Elizabeth Clark To paraphrase Johan Galtung, a But more than simply informing the Chelsea Collonge Sayed Habib founder of the peace studies field, campus community, we want to Carolyn McMahon “negative peace” is the absence of empower students to incorporate Sujal Parikh direct violent conflict, and “positive peaceful principles in their work for Eli Sasaran peace” is the presence of justice, com- social change. Our focus on principled Matthew Taylor munity reconciliation, and sustainable nonviolence is meant to inspire hope relationships. by showing a way out of war, injustice, Contributing Writers A beautiful vision, to be sure, but and the logic of humiliation. We hope Tal Palter Brittney Shepherd how do we get there? Is positive peace to provide a unique perspective, and Tim Flinders (guest) something that can be “achieved”? In open up a space for dialogue. We the first issue of this publication, we would love to hear your thoughts. Art Contributors begin the process of addressing these In their articles, many of our writers Rafael Matias Langer-Osuna (cover) questions. have included ways you can become “Undiminished” Hao Li (p. 13) Our goal is to promote a greater part of the constructive process. One Peter Zhang (p. 21) understanding of principled nonvio- way to contribute is to join our team. Faculty Advisor lence and conflict transformation at We need writers, photographers, Prof. Michael N. Nagler three levels: intrapersonal (within our- artists, and editors who are interested selves), interpersonal (in our rela- in conflict transformation, social Contact us! tions), and paradigmatic (in our system change, nonviolence education and of meaning and the way we view the spirituality. feedback on contents... world). We are a group of students who are letters {AT} calpeacepower.org In this issue, Antonio Castillo and Eli committed to articulating alternatives to email, replace {AT} with @ Sasaran discuss practices to develop to violence and passivity. If you are (please mention which article) intrapersonal change – through medi- worried about the state of the world, of tation and a spiritual approach to your community, or of your heart, Contribute! peacemaking. Tal Palter’s analysis of please join us. Together we can build a we welcome submissions: the Israeli Refusnik movement mixes bridge to the future based on our great- submit {AT} calpeacepower.org both intra- and interpersonal est hopes and not our darkest fears. approaches to the Israeli-Palestinian to apply to join our staff: conflict. Guest contributor Tim Flinders In peace, staff {AT} calpeacepower.org discusses the world’s first nonviolent The Editors we are looking for writers, editors, photographers, About Peace Power artists, layout designers, web What kind of power can persuade the British to leave India as friends, not enemies? team contributors, and What kind of power can move the hearts of white Americans to recognize the need business managers for civil rights for African-Americans? What kind of power can persuade an air force pilot, ordered by a dictator to quell an uprising, to turn away from his target, unable ASUC Sponsored Peace Power is a to fire on a crowd of unarmed Filipinos? We call this Peace Power, also known as nonprofit publication and is not an principled nonviolence. Rather than a negation of violence, peace power is a posi- official publication of the Associated Students of the University of tive force for change and resistance. By renouncing the use of coercive force, it California. The views expressed draws on the persuasive power people have over each other's hearts, or what herein are the views of the writers Kenneth Boulding calls integrative power. It can also be described as “person and not necessarily the views of the power,” the dedication of each individual when they convert a negative drive to a Editors, Staff, Faculty Advisor, positive drive. When those who have achieved this individual dedication come ASUC, or of the University of together, they enact “people power.” This is the power that can transform our California, Berkeley. selves, our relationships, our conflicts, and our world.

2 Peace Power Summer 2005 Inside This Issue

Spirituality History of Nonviolence Continued Meditation As Education...... 4-5 The Muslim Gandhi?...... 18-19 Global Justice Global Conflict Disease Called Violence...... 6-7 Parting Today’s Red Sea...... 20-22 Women’s Century of Peace...... 8 Nonviolence in Iraq...... 23 Person Power Public Policy Israeli Refusniks...... 9-11 Restorative Justice...... 24-25 History of Nonviolence An Abortion Coalition?...... 26-27 Montgomery Bus Boycott...12-14 Reflections Salt Satyagraha...... 15-17 Breathing Peace...... 28-29 Letter to the Editors Yours truly is probably one of the last sources a reader and motivation, while Gandhi furnished the method.” As would expect to see in a budding “Cal Nonviolence we “fight the good fight” for peace, let us not neglect Publication.” Group leaders, however, thought that my things of the spirit. The Gita, the teachings of Christ, input would be of some value, so here goes. Gandhi, and King are among some of the wonderful I am an ordained minister with the American Baptist resources that can guide us on our journey. Churches, USA. For the past year, it has been my privilege When the United States is at war, every citizen is at war. to attend the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. In that Some are closer to the action than others. Each of us is context, I have been able to participate in a rich variety of also engaged with a war within. May God help us to find theological offerings put forth by the Graduate Theological peace, both internally and internationally. Union. Among my professors are Jesuits, Buddhists, Yours in Peace, Baptists, Unitarians, Presbyterians, and Lutherans. One of Rev. Roger VanDerWerken the courses I particularly enjoyed was UC Berkeley’s LCDR, United States Navy “Theory and Practice of Nonviolence” (PACS 164A), which Dear Roger, put me in contact with the editors of this new journal. We are delighted to embark on this publishing journey To back up a bit, the reader might be asking, “What in with the blessing of a member of the military. It reminds us the world is a Baptist minister doing at the Jesuit School of that nonviolence is about loving those who have different Theology?” The answer to that question might surprise beliefs from us and who are choosing a much different way you: your tax dollars sent me here. For the past six years, I of making change in the world. served as a Chaplain to United States Marines at Camp Although we do not feel we are personally at war with Pendleton, CA. Although I did not deploy to Iraq, I did par- anyone, you remind us that indeed we are not separate ticipate in many Marine Corps training exercises, and min- from what’s going on in Iraq. Not only does it affect us istered to numerous families who suffered great loss. emotionally, economically, and spiritually, but we support Following my tour of duty with the Marines, the Navy it whenever we do not struggle with our own desire to Chaplain Corps (Chaplains who serve with Marines are dominate and our own tendency to believe in the useful- actually members of the US Navy), sent me to JSTB to pur- ness of violence. To be peacemakers during a time of war sue a master’s degree in Ethics. This summer, I will be we must enter fully into these internal struggles, but not assigned to the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the forget that war calls not for more war, but for more peace. newest and largest of US Navy warships. I will be one of We appreciate that, in your desire to see good in the three Chaplains to the 6,000 sailors who serve on board. world, you might see the state as an agent for this change. As human beings, our greatest struggle is between good Can we expand our concept of citizenship to one of the and evil. How do we respond to the evil that lurks within entire planet - and everyone who lives on it? the depths of our hearts? In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, Roger, we are glad to have you to dialogue with. Our ultimately, was engaged in a struggle with his lower self. hearts will be with you and the soldiers you are serving. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. found that the Sermon Peace, on the Mount “inspired the Negroes of Montgomery to dig- Chelsea Collonge nified social action.” For King, “Christ furnished the spirit Matthew Taylor

Peace Power Summer 2005 3 Spirituality Meditation as Education Imagine school cultivating, not filling, your mind– with stress relief benefits along the way

Meditation as EducationAntonio Castillo Although we are constantly encouraged to compete with one another and look out for our own well-being, we all s students, we seldom realize how critical the con- recognize and admire those who have risen above the pur- A tents of the mind are in shaping our lives. We often suit of recognition and have given themselves whole- spend a lot of time involved in activities that clutter, rather heartedly to their fellow human beings. In our era, few rep- than bring clarity, to our thinking processes. The university resent this better than Mother Theresa and Mahatma setting is an attempt to cultivate the mind. It is collectively Gandhi. acknowledged that by refining our mind we become better How did great figures like Mother Theresa and Mahatma suited to make a meaningful contribution to the world. Is Gandhi transform themselves from ordinary people into refining our minds simply the acquisition of information? radiant beacons of light that show us the latent potential in A different view of education might look at information every human being? My best guess is that the dynamic of as an ornament or a tool to enhance our contribution. But the mind plays a big role in this transformation. Just as a just as a tool can be used brilliant scientist transforms skillfully to perform a himself from a student to a given task, the same tool Nobel laureate by toiling with can also be misused to the mind, so too can people create more problems. We transform themselves from all know many intelligent an average student of law to people who are loaded a spiritually illuminated giant with information but seem (as Gandhi did) by grappling to be a burden to those with the thinking process around them. Ideally we itself. The effort required for would use the information personal transformation is we acquire to help those the same; the process may around us flourish. be a bit different. Professor Alex In cultivating the intellect, Philipenko, a renowned we work on putting informa- astronomer on the UC tion into our mind and Berkeley campus, recently manipulating that informa- said that if you take the tion mentally to serve a pur- universe from its incep- pose. In meditation or inward tion up till now, and com- prayer, we work on emptying pare that to a span of the mind of all earthly dis- twenty-four hours, the tractions and turning our human being has only attention inward to find the been in existence for a source of radiance that lies mere two seconds. This within us. In every religion provides a window for a and every spiritual tradition very promising and gentle throughout the world, there view of human nature. have been people who turn Humanity is yet in its their gaze inward to cease infancy, and it may take us a while before we can learn to the restless activity of the mind and tap into the source of use the tools we develop in the most efficient manner pos- joy which we all long to discover. This is not an intellectual sible. Yet it is a testament of the true nature of human exercise, and the discoveries made in this domain are not beings that even amidst our consumer culture and its end- fruits of mental activity. Rather, this is a spiritual exercise, less distractions, sensations, and activities, we still have and the discoveries made are fruits of “heart experience”. an overwhelming need to feel something genuine. I put it in this way because this is essentially what happens

4 Peace Power Summer 2005 deep in meditation—we are gradually transformed Students at UC Berkeley are known for their relentless through an experience that expands the reservoir of our striving. I am frequently amazed at the wide range of tal- capacity to love. ent, intelligence, and capacities of the student body. If one This is essentially what meditation is: learning infinite person like Gandhi or Dr. King has the potential to create love. But as Martin Luther King aptly describes, the kind of change, imagine what a vast community like ours can love we develop by going inward is not what the Greeks accomplish. If we work on facing our own negative states called eros, or romantic love. It is not the touchy-feely love of mind and transforming ourselves inwardly, our collective that most of us are familiar with; there is nothing senti- capacities are unfathomable. mental about it. Neither is it the kind of reciprocal love we are accustomed to, where we love someone because they A Passage for Meditation love us (Dr. King calls this philia). Learning to love is infinite because it seeks nothing in return and is derived from a (In passage meditation, the meditator focuses on the recognition that inside each one of us lies a dormant spark words of a memorized passage as a means of cultivating that is capable of igniting a fire that will radiate warmth one-pointed attention and slowing down the mind. The throughout the entire universe. This kind of love trans- passage should illuminate a spiritual truth, as the words forms the individual into love itself and consumes every slip into the unconscious like seeds of wisdom that will selfish desire with a yearning to serve humanity. manifest in daily life.)

“Prayer for Peace” How did great figures like Mother by Swami Omkar Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi Adorable presence, transform themselves from ordinary Thou who art within and without, people into radiant beacons of light above and below and all around, that show us the latent potential in Thou who art interpenetrating every cell of my being, every human being? Thou art the eye of my eyes, the heart of my heart, the mind of my mind, Hundreds of studies conducted at more than 200 univer- the breath of my breath, sities and research institutions in more than 30 countries the life of my life, the soul of my soul. demonstrate the profound benefits of meditation in the Bless us, dear God, to be aware of thy presence mind and the body. During meditation, the body gains a now and here. unique state of deep relaxation that dissolves accumulat- ed stress and fatigue. Simultaneously, brain functioning May we all be aware of thy presence becomes more orderly and as a result, the body becomes in the East and the West, healthier and more integrated. Since the thought process in the North and the South. is slowed down and concentrated during meditation, a May peace and good will abide among more coherent style of brain functioning develops, result- individuals, communities, and nations. ing in more comprehensive, focused, and creative thinking. This is my earnest prayer. Among the practical benefits of meditation are: May peace be unto all! • Stress relief • Deepened relationships Resources • Improved PACS 94 concentration Theory and Practice of Meditation • Overcoming bad habits 1-2 units (listed at http://schedule.berkeley.edu) • Finding meaning in everyday life Meditation, Mysticism and the Mind DeCal • Freedom from past regrets and future worries 2-4 units (http://meditate.berkeley.edu) • Improved judgment and decision making Meditation by Eknath Easwaran • Improved grades and work results http://www.nilgiri.org • Increased energy levels throughout the day The San Francisco Zen Center • Finding access to deeper resources http://www.sfzc.org • Living up to high ideals Berkeley Buddhist Monastery http://berkeley.drba.org

Peace Power Summer 2005 5 Global Justice The Disease Called Violence Public health depends on consciousness, social justice

Sarah Clark Indeed, structural violence has been shown to be far more deadly than violence caused by armed conflict. A world- ur system is one of detachment: to keep silenced wide study carried out by Kohler and Alcock in 1976 found O people from asking questions, to keep the judged that 14 to 18 million people die every year from the effects from judging, to keep solitary people from joining togeth- of poverty (a form of structural violence), while about er, and the soul from putting together its pieces. 100,000 die from armed conflict (Bloom, 2004). –Eduardo Galeano To be human is to engage in relationships with others and Rethinking Violence the world. –Paulo Freire The knowledge we are gaining about the effects of vio- lence in all its forms challenges the deeply ingrained sys- The 20th century was one of the most violent periods in tem of structural violence that forms the bedrock of our human history. According to the World Health civilization. At the end of the eighteenth century, Immanuel Organization’s, World Report on Violence and Health Kant declared that “The peoples of the earth have thus (2000), an estimated 191 million lost their lives directly or entered in varying degrees into a universal community, and indirectly as a result of conflict—and well over half of them it has developed to the point were a violation of rights in were civilians. Although violence has been a seemingly one part of the world is felt everywhere” (Bloom, 2004). inextricable aspect of human existence, it is becoming Unfortunately, our current paradigm is still one of separa- increasingly clear that it has now become a threat to life on tion, and therefore one of suffering; we simply assume that a global scale. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of violence, oppression, and exploitation are unavoidable the WHO stated in the introduction to the 2000 Report, and normative, and as Sandra Bloom states, “we move into “We must challenge the notions that acts of violence are the future inevitably re-enacting a traumatic past” (2004). simply matters of family privacy, individual choice, or The remedy against all forms of violence begins within inevitable facets of human life. Violence is a complex prob- the individual. It is necessary to cultivate within ourselves lem related to patterns of thought and behavior that are and others the ability to change the way we think about shaped by a multitude of forces within our families and ourselves and the world we live in. To stop the infection of communities, forces that can also transcend national bor- violence we must understand another’s suffering as our ders” (p. ii). Only a shift in human understanding, a move- own and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to changing ment to a higher and more inte- social structures that condone grated level of meaning, can Violence is a disease because it is not violence. help us be more effective in Abraham Maslow created a slowing down the epidemic of inherent to the human condition, and hierarchic “Human Needs the disease we call “violence”. both its causes and its effects are Theory” in which the most A healing and transformative highly contagious. basic are the physical needs for approach to violence therefore, food, water, clothing, and shel- requires thinking broadly and ter. Once these “lower order” comprehensively, and most importantly, from the point of needs are satisfied, people are able to devote their efforts view of prevention—focusing simultaneously on the indi- to satisfying nonmaterial, or “higher order” types of needs vidual and the social causes of violence. such as security, autonomy, respect, bonding, and finally, Violence is a disease because it is not inherent to the the ability to make progress toward one’s full potential— human condition, and both its causes and its effects are for fulfilling or actualizing one’s true self (Chetkow-Yanoov, highly contagious—they spread from person to person, 1997). Generally, each of these needs must be satisfied in from family to family, from nation to nation, even across order to become a fulfilled person. If the most basic human generations. The causes of violence are multiple and inter- needs are not satisfied, personal and social problems, connected: they are simultaneously social, environmental, such as an increased susceptibility towards conflict and psychological, individual, systemic, philosophical, politi- violence, tend to develop (Chetkow-Yanoov, 1997). cal, and spiritual (Bloom, 2004). Most human suffering seems to be a consequence of Critical Consciousness “structural violence”, the physical and psychological harm Mahatma Gandhi possessed a deep understanding of to the individual that results from exploitative and unjust this social dynamic and developed the Constructive social, political, and economic systems (Levy, 2000). Program in order to address the physical needs of the 6 Peace Power Summer 2005 Indian people in addition to cultivating their inner life. Arne and promote alternatives to violence (Weiss, 1996). Goals Naess, in Gandhi and Group Conflict: an Exploration of 1 and 3 address environmental and structural correlates of Satyagraha, states, “One may say that Gandhi’s strategy violence, whereas Goal 2 requires a shift in consciousness. included as a preliminary step the lifting up of people from Billie P. Weiss, the Executive Director and cofounder of the the status of nonentities to a level where self-realization Los Angeles Violence Prevention Coalition stated, “We will was conceivable as an aim”(p.109)…where a life without not solve the problem of violence in our communities by violence was a conceivable aim. The Constructive Program putting 100,000 more police officers on the streets, or by was designed to build India from the bottom up, and constructing more prison cells, by extending the death address both individual and national problems simultane- penalty to more crimes, or by executing more rapidly those ously. According to the Mahatma, “Complete convicted of capital offenses. Solutions to the problem of Independence through Truth and Nonviolence means the community violence will be found in the reestablishment of independence of every unit, be it the humblest of the a sense of community ownership of the streets and neigh- nation, without distinction of race, color or creed” (Gandhi, borhoods, such that every resident exercises a positive 1941). Gandhi’s great success was to empower in each indi- governing influence, and in rebuilding decayed neighbor- vidual the ability to challenge not only the oppressive hoods” (p.206). The Violence Prevention Coalition has con- British system, but also the individual’s oppressive mental tinued to gain strength and popularity and has initiated construct. “The English have new programs in recent years not taken India; we have given To stop the infection of violence we such as the Youth Violence it to them. They are not in must understand another’s suffering Prevention Peace Coalition, a India because of their countywide coalition of youth strength, but because we keep as our own and commit ourselves dedicated to working together to them” (Gandhi, 1938). wholeheartedly to changing social find peace solutions to violence The field of public health is structures that condone violence. in their communities (Weiss, beginning to learn from 1996). Gandhi’s two-fold approach: Violence is a complex phe- to gain a deeper understanding of individual and societal nomenon, and public health is striving to establish new factors contributing to violence, in addition to addressing ways to understand and address that complexity. The pub- larger social constructs and systems (i.e. health service lic health approach to violence prevention requires a com- delivery, law enforcement, government) which facilitate prehensive effort from all segments of the community, violence and oppression. In the U.S. today, “crime remains beginning with the individual and involving education, one of our most critical indicators of the state of our per- community action, social support, and structural change. sonal and collective being” (Weiss, 1996). A recent youth However, to achieve lasting peace, there must be an violence prevention program in Los Angeles has integrated accompanying shift in our collective consciousness. We a broader understanding of personal and collective vio- must reconsider the collective story we tell about violence. lence with the more traditional systems-oriented public health approach. This program demonstrates a public The Most Vital Question health approach to violence prevention very similar to We have the tendency to ignore the obvious, to become Gandhi’s Constructive Program in that it required a com- fatalistic about what we do not understand, and to accept, prehensive effort from all segments of the community, and because of familiarity, what should not be acceptable. The began with a focus on the needs of the individual and their increasing disparity between rich and poor individuals and education. Social support and community action were also nations, the unlimited expansion of arms, the exploitation developed—all three efforts striving toward, and in many of earth’s resources, and the frightening volume of inter- ways achieving, structural change and an eventual shift personal and collective violence, is not acceptable. A new away from the idea that violence (both personal and struc- paradigm is emerging, a different way of viewing human tural) is legitimate. nature, the sources of violence and conflict, and the way to The Los Angeles Violence Prevention Coalition was address those issues. The remedy for the disease of vio- formed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health lence lies within us. Violence is a failure to understand the Services in 1991 and consisted of more than 400 members interconnected nature of all human experience, and a fail- with expertise in various categories of violence and vio- ure of social responsibility. We have a responsibility to lence prevention (Weiss, 1996). The Coalition was based challenge those experiences, beliefs, and values that con- on a multidisciplinary approach that used the specific tal- tinue to promote war, violence, and destruction. The ques- ents and skills of its various members’ disciplines—from tion remains: What steps can we take as individuals, as medicine to business, from the academic community to families, within each group, each social service system, law enforcement. The Coalition adopted and maintained each social organization or institution to increase the three goals with specific objectives: (1) To reduce the avail- resistance of the social body to violence in all its forms and ability and accessibility of firearms, (2) To change commu- to increase the likelihood of peace? nity norms so that violence is not acceptable, (3) To create (For full length article and bibliography, see calpeacepower.org.) Peace Power Summer 2005 7 Global Justice Women’s Century of Peace A Constructive Vision, from Afghanistan to the World

Sayed Habib make it better. While there is relative peace, there needs to be a solid he little girl was selling dried fruits out of a cart on foundation for peace to be long lasting. For one, women Tthe streets of Kabul. My sister approached her and should be given a bigger representation in the govern- asked how old she was and why it was that she wasn’t in ment. Women make up a larger segment of the population, school. The girl said she was 13 and that her mother was but they are still browbeaten by the local warlords while sick and her father was killed in the war so she had to work the central government contemplates women’s role in pol- like her other two siblings. When my sister bought some- icy making and in society. If more women were allowed thing from the girl, she opened up about how happy she equal rights in owning property and running their own was to be able to go outside the house and work. She said businesses, there would be less poverty and unemploy- that she rarely went outside fearing she would be beaten ment. Women in the rural areas and various other areas are or taken away by the Taliban. My sister was quite surprised still afraid to walk on the streets by themselves fearing the at her tenacity and sense of optimism in her disposition worst. Gandhi grappled with the same issues in 1941 when despite her misfortunes. he wrote the Constructive My sister recently went to There needs to be a solid foundation Programme handbook to inform Afghanistan almost 20 years the people of India on how to after immigrating to the U.S. It for peace to be long-lasting. build long-lasting and self-sus- was one of her dreams to go tained social programs and dis- back to Afghanistan, but traveling there was too risky a continue their reliance on the British for economic and couple of years ago for anyone, let alone for a woman. I social well being. It is a 30 page handbook that gives us was expecting some horror stories about how poverty more valuable instructions about nonviolence than many stricken and diseased the people might be because of the larger books about the subject. Gandhi emphasizes the constant violence. While there is some poverty and malnu- role of women in rebuilding and reconstructing a country. It trition, much to my surprise, people are picking up what is just as relavant to Afghanistan today as it was and still is they are left with and are getting on with life. I think that it to India. Gandhi Writes: is a sign of relief for people of Afghanistan to have relative Woman has been suppressed under custom and law peace after 25 years of turmoil which started with the for which man was responsible and in the shaping of Russian invasion in 1979, followed by constant civil war, which she had no hand. In a plan of life based on non- and then the infamous Taliban which the U.S toppled in violence, woman has as much right to shape her own 2002. Afghans have a resilient and courageous sprit about destiny as man has to shape his. But as every right in a them that has sustained their hopefulness. That hopeful- non-violent society proceeds from the previous per- ness comes from their decision to put violent animosities formance of a duty, it follows that rules of social con- to rest and embrace the changes—though the changes duct must be framed by mutual co-operation and con- may seem miniscule by our standards here, it is an incre- sultation they can never be imposed from outside. Men mental and forward-looking one by their war-weary souls. have not realized this truth in its fullness in their The conclusion my sister made from her observations was behaviour towards women. They have instead consid- that people wanted to simply live their lives free of any vio- ered themselves to be lords and masters of women lence. After a generation of people has been exposed to instead of considering them as their friends and co- such a violent environment, the hope for a peaceful change workers. (CP 16) seemed almost unachievable. But there has been some A large number of men in Afghanistan think that women progress toward peace and nonviolence by women in par- are helpless creatures that have to be protected from expo- ticular. It has given them a chance to participate in a mean- sure to society because of cultural and religious reasons, ingful capacity. Although, they are far from reaching their but it goes deeper than that. In Afghanistan women are goals, the debate alone has shed light to the plight of referred to as siya-sar which means dark or black mind in a women in Afghan society. Women are demanding that they literal sense. Men and some women use this term in a nor- be allowed to work in order to liberate themselves from mal everyday conversation. It is supposed to be a polite dependence on handouts and other less reputable means. term to refer to women as helpless beings who have no Led by a few brave women active in politics, women are mind of their own and so they have to be kept in a certain able to voice their opinions about their plight and how to (continued on page 30)

08 Peace Power Summer 2005 Person Power The Israeli Refusnik Movement From Conscientious Objection to a Nonviolent Peaceforce Tal Palter approach never used before by a group of high school sen- iors, and wrote an open letter to Sharon expressing their General, your tank is a powerful vehicle reasons for refusing to serve in the military in August 19, It tramples the forest, it crushes a hundred men. 2001. The letter opens, “We … are about to be called to But it has one flaw: serve in the IDF [Israeli Defense Force]. We protest before It requires a driver. you against the aggressive and racist policy pursued by the General, your bomber is strong. Israeli government’s [sic] and its army, and to inform you It flies faster than the storm, it loads more than an that we do not intend to take part in the execution of this elephant. policy… Therefore we will obey our conscience and refuse to take part in acts of oppression against the Palestinian But it has one flaw: people.” The Shministim Letter immediately received full It requires a mechanic. coverage in all of the Israeli media, and in a number of General, man is very useful. Palestinian, American, and European newspapers and TV He knows how to fly, he knows how to murder. shows. One of the harshest responses came from the then But he has one flaw: Minister of Education, Limor Livnat from the Likud Party, He knows how to think. who said that these students were an insignificant minori- –Bertolt Brecht, a German anti-Nazi playwright ty that did not distinguish “between an aggressor and vic- and poet. tim.” Left wing politicians rejected the refusal letter as The poem was used in a Yesh Gvul flyer. well, under the claim that it threatened to break down the fundamental fabric of Israeli society. Nevertheless, numer- n June 1967, the Six-Days War ended in Israel’s tri- ous responses of support arrived from Palestinians, I umph over its neighboring Arab states. No matter how one perceives this war, whether as a war of self- defense or a war of aggression, annexing the territories and establishing settlements was a clear choice Israel made. The seizure and administration of these Palestinian territories has required a harsh military occupation, which includes different practices that many soldiers find immoral and unjust. The second Al-Aqsa Intifada, and the Israeli response to it under Ariel Sharon’s government brought about the cruelest and most oppressive regime Palestinians have ever faced; killings, targeted assassina- tions, curfews, house demoli- tion, tree uprooting, the segre- gation wall, and other human rights violations have created a new wave of refusniks (consci- entious objectors) Israel has never faced before. Coalition of Conscientious Objectors “I, Lieutenant David Zonshein, an officer in an elite Starting in 2001, Shministim (high school seniors) Israeli paratroopers unit, served the State of Israel in Youth Refusal Movement, Courage to Refuse, Refusers Lebanon and the territories for 10 years. For years, I Parents’ Forum, and Refusers Solidarity Network launched participated in oppressions which included horrible a remarkable conscientious objectors movement in Israel. things with my soldiers, which their goal was to The Shministim organization was established in 2001 by a eternalize the occupation and the settlements, group of high school seniors who were supposed to be under the premise of security at home and in my drafted into the army at the end of that year. These stu- country. NO MORE! I refuse to serve in the occupied dents looked for new ways to express their opposition to territories – for the benefit of the State of Israel!” the Israeli occupation. They decided to adopt a radical –Courage to Refuse

Peace Power Summer 2005 9 The Israeli Refusnik Movement (continued) Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on March 10, 2004, where they spoke Israelis or foreigners who thought that conscientious about their own experiences and their views on the mili- objection has been a legitimate way to promote peace. tary’s role in the occupation. Although the letter’s first endorser was imprisoned for Courage to Refuse has been more successful than refusing the draft in January 2002, this did not weaken the Shministim primarily because for many Israelis it was eas- movement but made it stronger. The Shministim move- ier to accept and support former soldiers, who had already ment created a new wave of refusnik students, and today served in the army, as conscientious objectors than high this group works on mobilizing more conscientious objec- school seniors who had not completed their duty to the tors through raising domestic and international awareness state. Although ex-soldiers refusniks have already commit- to the Israeli occupation. ted the atrocities that they have been trying to stop, Combined with Shministim, the foundation of Courage whereas the students have been trying to avoid commit- to Refuse established the Refusnik Movement as a force of ting them at all, the part of the Israeli public which sup- significant opposition to government policies in the territo- ports refusal views the ex-soldiers in a more positive light. ries. On January 25, 2002, a group of 52 officers and sol- Another factor that contributes to the success of Courage diers published the Combatants Letter, which expressed to Refuse is that its members their reasons for refusing to cannot be dismissed as being serve in the occupied territo- The Pilots Letter helped promote radical leftists because many of ries. Captain David Zonshein them are not a part of the radi- and Lieutenant Yaniv Itzkovits, conscientious objection as a cal left. For these reasons, the initiators of the letter, were legitimate tool for opposing the Courage to Refuse has been then officers in an elite unit military occupation, and altered able to change how the Israeli which took part in fighting in public perceives the military Lebanon and in the occupied Israelis’ perception on its moral occupation and open up a territories. They also had applications. debate about its necessity, served for four years in compul- legality, and morality. sory service and eight years in the reserves. During service in the Palestinian territories, The Second Phase Zonshein and Itzkovits came to believe that Israel was vio- The second phase of the Refusnik Movement was lating the Oslo Accords by expanding settlements and launched by the Pilots Letter on September 27, 2003. In maintaining an immoral and unjust occupation of the this letter, Israeli air force pilots wrote, “We…are opposed Palestinian people. Facing this reality, Zonshein and to carrying out attack orders that are illegal and immoral of Itzkovits decided that they could not continue their service the type the state of Israel has been conducting in the ter- in the occupied territories. Therefore, they initiated the ritories…We… refuse to take part in Air Force attacks on refusal letter and established Courage to Refuse, which as civilian population centers…These actions are illegal and of March 2005 included 635 refusniks. In Breaking Ranks, immoral, and are a direct result of the ongoing occupation Ronit Chacham writes, “Courage to Refuse which is corrupting all of Israeli society.” Yonatan Shapira, movement…[hoped] that their letter would act as a wake- one of the letter’s initiators, explained that the Shehade up call…[T]hey now felt a strong need to persuade their fel- incidence, wherein an air-strike targeted assassination low Israelis that the ongoing occupation did not serve a killed the target in addition to 14 civilians, nine of them defensive purpose and was depriving Palestinians of their children, raised many concerns for himself and his group. rights. They challenged the belief, widely held in Israel, Additionally, the Commander of the Air Force, Dan Halotz, that their country had to protect itself in this way against was quoted as saying that it does not bother him that civil- Palestinian determination.” Additionally, Courage to ians were killed in the attack and that it should not bother Refuse promotes new refusals, supports jailed members his men. This statement led Shapira and his co-signers to and their families, and holds demonstrations against the refuse carrying out immoral orders such as this one, Israeli government. Furthermore, because they felt the army lost its moral grounds when sol- refusniks speak in high schools, diers and officers stopped caring for civilians’ lives. The universities and other forums to Pilots Letter shocked Israeli society because it came from promote an end to the occupa- the most respected and adored group in the army in partic- tion, in addition to meeting parlia- ular and in Israeli society in general. The pilots were high- ment members and U.S. con- ly criticized by many Israelis and were released from serv- gressmen. In an important mile- ice the following month. Nevertheless, the Pilots Letter stone for the movement, refusniks helped promote conscientious objection as a legitimate and parents of jailed refusniks tool for opposing the military occupation, and altered appeared at the European Israelis perception on its moral applications. In response

10 Peace Power Summer 2005 to the Pilots Letter, Gila Svirsky expressed her hope for peace: “This letter is a blessing. May it catalyze a speedy end to the occupation, and presage the dawn of reason and, ultimately, peace—in the Middle East and everywhere.” The last noteworthy milestone in the Refusnik Movement came from Sayeret Matkal, the Israeli Defense Force General Staff’s Elite Special Operations Force, which is well known for its famous members Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyaho. On December 21, 2003, 13 Sayeret Matkal soldiers and offi- cers signed a refusal letter stating, “We…have also chosen to join the front in the way we have been trained…We say to you today, we According to Yonatan Shapira, an initiator of the Pilots Letter, “We… refuse will no longer lend our hands to the to take part in Air Force attacks on civilian population centers.” subjugation taking place in the ter- ritories.” In this letter the under- against the military occupation and its methods. signed expressed their solidarity with the Refusnik Movement and why they felt obligated to join it. Since the Into a Peace Army submission of the Combatants, Pilots and Sayeret Matkal’s While the Refusnik Movement is a remarkable landmark refusal letters, new refusniks, from almost every army unit, in the Israeli peace movement, it does not provide an alter- have either written their own refusal declarations or joined native to the Israeli Defense Force as an institution that these existing groups. These hundreds of new refusniks addresses conflicts. Hence, the next section will present an strengthen the movement tremendously. Arik Diamant alternative to the Israeli army in the form of a peace force. describes the influence of the Refusnik Movement and how Additionally, I will detail the new organization’s core princi- the movement’s message has resonated and influenced ples and stages of development. Itamar Shahar wrote in the political arena: “For the love of their country and his refusal declaration the following statement: “Initially, I respect for the most fundamental Jewish values, hundreds thought it might be possible to try and improve these cir- of soldiers refused to cross the 1967 borders and were con- cumstances to a degree, but ultimately I understood that sequently sent to prison. But their message went through, the only way for an ordinary soldier to defend the wellbe- and today, three years later, Sharon recognizes the refusal ing of all concerned, Palestinians and Israelis, is by refus- movement as one of the reasons for leaving Gaza.” ing to take a hand in the occupation apparatus.” As Shahar Additionally, Michal Levertov writes, claims, changing the army’s social practices is impossible because violence is rooted in the army’s structure and sys- At the end of 2003, many political analysts were crediting tem of meaning. Hence, there is an urgent need to estab- the refusniks’ campaign with the revival of the Israel lish an alternative organization to replace the military sys- left…The Refusniks ‘moved from Israeli society’s margin to tem all together. its center’ the daily Maariv wrote. In 2002, David Zonshine, This substitute organization would be a nonviolent a captain in the paratroops, was nominated as ‘person of peace force which would serve as a Civilian-Based Defense the year’ by the daily Yediot Ahronot. He didn’t win the title institution for the benefit of all the people in the region. then, but in moving from the fringes to the forefront of The aims of the peace force would be threefold, similar to Israeli political and public discussion, Courage to Refuse the aims of the Gandhian Shanti Sena (Peace Army). (A won big in 2003 as a generator of a new, saner, spirit. peace army was established by Badshah Khan and the Pathans in the North-West Frontier Province and it Furthermore, Zonshine and the organization he estab- opposed the British colonial occupation of India. This army lished, Courage to Refuse, formed one of the category included 80,000 soldiers and was called the Khudai nominees for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Although Khidmatgars, described on page 18 of this issue and in the Zonshine did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, these recent book Nonviolent Soldier of Islam by Eknath Easwaran. ) developments point out the tremendous success that the Refusnik Movement has had in shifting public opinion continued on p. 30

Peace Power Summer 2005 11 History of Nonviolence Constructive Program: The fashioning of a “new consciousness” in Southern African-Americans through the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Brittney Shepherd ment into the realms of daily life. Here, the nonviolent actor is permitted to be active within the movement of his sychological freedom, a firm sense of self- own free will, without “hav[ing] to wait for the right time, “P esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the weather, circumstance or depend on a big turnout on some long night of physical slavery.” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. special occasion” (Nagler, 2001; 188). Furthermore, this model works towards a goal that is The fashioning of a new consciousness and a newfound proactive (Nagler, 2001; 189). It is within this element of self-respect within Southern blacks’ mentality was a key constructive program that the basic element of nonvio- element in the adoption—or rather in the understanding— lence is best displayed—truth; truth is where one finds of nonviolent principles present within the Civil Rights strength to continue in one’s cause. And lastly, construc- Movement. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, based tive program defeats the dependency model of the oppres- on the tenets of constructive program, was one of many sor over the oppressed. It turns dependency around and factors that brought forth this new consciousness in the therefore discredits the power relations that reign. It offers minds of Southern African Americans. Furthermore, the a restructuring of power and allows the exploited to see ultimate success of the Bus Boycott helped encourage their own power within the situation—but not their power future participation and dedication to nonviolence during over the exploiter, rather their power to re-vindicate the the Civil Rights Movement. power dynamics, discontinuing Before delving into the logis- an unhealthy dependency on tics of the boycott and its con- Constructive program offers a the exploiter. More simply stat- tributions to the rest of the restructuring of power and allows the ed: they experience the power movement, let us first under- exploited to see their own power within themselves. stand the importance of con- Arne Naess states that par- structive program and the foun- within the situation. ticipation in constructive pro- dation that it provides. The gram “foster[s] that minimum basis of constructive program within a social movement, or of self-respect which was indispensable for meaningful within any community, offers a possible solution to the participation in nonviolent campaigns” (Naess, 1974; 109). ensuing problems present within the community. Gandhi The main idea is that through a restructuring of ideals and offers this definition: “Civil disobedience, mass or individ- power, the nonviolent actor is able to not only fashion a ual, is an aid to constructive effort and is a full substitute new position in the movement, but also a new mentality for armed revolt” (Gandhi, 1941; 3). As alluded to in the rooted in truth and love. This mentality incorporates all name “constructive program,” it constructs something those involved within the struggle, including the oppres- positive despite the subsequent negative problem. It is sors. the basis for nonviolence in that it is the conversion of a The mental formation of the modern civil rights move- negative state into a positive state. ment is an illustration of re-articulation processes or re- Four important aspects of constructive program can valuation processes. As we stated earlier, in order to win offer some insight into the importance, or downright mass support for the tactics of direct action and nonvio- necessity, of this indispensable foundation to the Civil lence, it was necessary to replace the established cultural Rights Movement. First, within constructive program, norms through which blacks, mainly Southern blacks, had everyone can participate—everyone from the oldest man, previously sought to ameliorate the impact of racial to the youngest child, and at times, as in the case of the oppression such as feigning ignorance or diverted humili- Civil Rights Movement, the oppressor. This notion of work- ty. Blacks now tired of this old regime and these laborious ing together creates a community which functions as a tactics now aimed to oppose the system of segregation whole for a common purpose. “Working together creates with righteous and disciplined action; nonviolent resist- a sense of shared destiny and unity, as almost nothing else ance grounded in constructive program offered the solu- does” (Nagler, 2001; 187). Secondly, constructive program tion. offers a solution that can be worked on everyday—further First, Southern blacks needed a jumpstart. The decision incorporating the dedication to nonviolence and the move- made by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 to peacefully

12 Peace Power Summer 2005 reject the powers of segregation was the first cornerstone of the ensuing boycott and resulting men- tality of unity within the Southern black community. “Rosa Parks acted spontaneous- ly when she refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery in December 1955; yet it is also true that she had shortly before returned from a leadership seminar at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, the South’s principal training center for union organizers” (Lynd, 1995; xxviii). Here, as Rosa Parks invokes the Rosa Parks art by “Undiminished” Hao Li power of nonviolent tactics, we see that the prevailing movement was secured that the success of the boycott lay within their own pow- within the principles of nonviolence in the minds of the ers. Despite years of impenetrability into active resistance organizers. It is good to note the spontaneity of the move- against segregation, Southern blacks had found a measure ment as well as the structured elements that preceded it in where everyone could participate. There was a fusion of the minds of the organizers in order to understand the the entire black Montgomery community all the way from developing consciousness and unrest with the problem at prominent ministers, the NAACP, black taxi drivers, to hand. grandmothers. Understanding that the success of the boy- Now that the movement had sparked a beginning, let us cott lay within their own hands, or rather feet, Southern explore the elements of constructive program that are blacks formulated a newfound sense of fulfillment, of pur- present within the boycott based on the previous frame- pose. This unity within mind and action was a basis for work. As to the element of participation, from the begin- success within constructive program. This consciousness ning of the movement there is an amazing collaboration of would only further propel adherence to nonviolence within both leaders and citizens. Students of Alabama State the minds of Southern blacks. College willingly hitched rides while the “sidewalks were As to the second element, transportation, whether it be crowded with laborers and domestic workers, many of to a job, or to the downtown market, affected everyday life them well past middle age, trudging patiently to their jobs of nearly every black Southerner. Furthermore, because and home again, sometimes as much as twelve miles” the actual course of the bus boycott was one that affected (King, 1958; 430). Nearly all ministers offered to drive a the every day lives of Southern blacks, commitment to the shift of the carpool. It is important to notice the multitude movement was further solidified. Dedication can be seen of participants in the boycott here. The avenue of protest as these nonviolent resistors continued to walk for almost was not limited to the young, able-bodied, idealistic youth a year on a daily basis in diligent protest. The commitment of the state college, but included the elderly, children, men to working everyday on a common goal, within a common and women. The ability to participate and integrate them- community, with a determination to unify oneself with all selves within the protest, literally in the path of the protest, urged Southerners forward in their quest, day in and day allowed African Americans of Montgomery to understand out until: “(1) courteous treatment by the bus operators was guar-

Peace Power Summer 2005 13 Constructive Program in Montgomery (continued) to hatred and violence, and instead adopt their own sys- anteed; (2) passengers were seated on a first-come, first- tem—which thrives. The previous relationship therefore serve basis—Negroes seated from the back of the bus that existed between white and black Southerners is toward the front while whites seated from the front restructured, allowing for a redefinition of self for the black towards the back; (3) Negro bus operators were employed Southerner. If he was no longer defined as ‘inferior,’ what on predominantly Negro routes” (King, 1958; 436). exactly was he then? He was “…somebody…a person…a The idea here is that man with dignity and progress is achieved with Southern African-Americans “substituted honor” (King quoted in every step that is taken— Naess, 1974; 114). This bringing the Southern tired feet for tired souls” mentality would provide black closer and closer to according to Dr. King. the needed strength to their victories, internally continue with the quest and externally. The act of for equality. walking had become symbolic; symbolic of the history of In the end, the most important factor that sprung from struggle, symbolic of the present movement, and symbolic the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott was the of the future that the world held for the black Southerner. realignment of the self within the minds of Southern The proactive aspect of the Montgomery Bus Boycott blacks. Through the different elements of nonviolence, lies mainly within the symbolic nature of the protest provided by the framework of constructive program, beyond merely the physical nature. As black Southerners Southern blacks were able to “grapple with a new “substitute[d] tired feet for approach to the crisis in race tired souls” (King, 1958, 437), The relationship of dependency has relations” (King, 1958; 450). truth seeped from the soles. This new approach offered a Blacks of the South, or of the been completely eliminated as means to gain unity, to gain entire nation for that matter, Southern blacks reject an imposed strength, to gain momentum in could no longer endure the system of hatred and violence. the struggle for equality. As spiritual, emotional, mental, Southern blacks experienced a physical, or emotional realignment of the legislation demands of segregation. If they opted to walk until all surrounding their bus system, they also experienced a these problems were solved, then so be it. But it seemed realignment of their own minds to that of a more powerful, for right now, within the consciousness of the black South, a more purposeful mind. In the larger social scene, the the ending of segregated buses would be sufficient. Its Montgomery Bus Boycott offered a glimpse of hope of higher symbolic connotation would carry farther as well. what could be achieved through not only the tactic of con- This basis of constructive program offered a clear under- structive program, but also through the creation of a new standing of both principle and action within the minds of attitude, a re-evaluation of sorts. Martin Luther King had the nonviolent protestors. this to say about Montgomery: “One can never understand The most influential element of constructive program on the bus protest in Montgomery without understanding that the emerging consciousness of the Southern black was the there is a new Negro in the South, with a new sense of dig- restructuring of power relationships—most notably the nity and destiny” (King, 1958; 468). It is this ‘new Negro’ dependency relationship. As the statement by King reads geared with an understanding of nonviolence that later at the very beginning of this paper, the psychological free- enters into the Civil Right Movement with her head high dom gained through a sense of self-worth derived from and heart pure. love of all—the oppressed and the oppressor—is the strongest tool you can have in your fight, or rather your Bibliography journey, with nonviolence. Southern African Americans 1. Gandhi, M.K.; Constructive Program: It’s Meaning and It’s Purpose; had “no alternative but to protest… we come here tonight Navajivan Publishing House; 1941. to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with 2. King, Martin Luther King Jr.; A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Harpers San Francisco; 1986. anything less than freedom and justice” (King, 1958; 435). 3. Lynd, Staughton and Alice Lynd; Nonviolence in America; Orbis Books; King states that the prevailing relationship between blacks 1995. and whites in the South has been one of dependency 4. Naess, Arne; from Gandhi and Group Conflict: An Exploration of where blacks have accepted their ‘inferiority’ to whites and Satyagraha; Universitiesforlaget; 1974; Peace and Conflict 164A Reader—Week 2. often have resigned to tactics, which accept the violence 5. Nagler, Michael; The Search for a Nonviolent Future; Inner Ocean; that is used against them. Now, within the realm of the 2004. Montgomery Bus Boycott, this relationship of dependency 6. Omi, Michael and Winant; Chapter 6, “The Great Transformation,” has been completely eliminated as Southern blacks reject from Racial Formation in the United States: From the 1960s to the 1980s; an imposed system where they are continuously subjected Routledge Chapman Hall, 1986; Ethnic Studies 21AC Reader—Week 6.

14 Peace Power Summer 2005 History of Nonviolence The Pinch Heard ‘Round the World Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha 75 Years On

Matthew Taylor tion included general strikes and boycott of foreign cloth. Civil disobedience was enacted by intentionally and open- he climactic phase of India’s independence struggle ly defying morally repugnant laws. began on March 12th, 1930 when Mahatma Gandhi T Holding Fast to Truth marched out of his beloved spiritual community, the Sabramati Ashram, vowing never to return until India was By the time he had reached the beach at Dandi over one free from the British colonial system. He was accompanied month later, thousands had joined the march. Gandhi by 78 hand-picked colleagues who had developed a deep meant to challenge the unjust British monopoly on salt devotion to the pursuit of Truth and nonviolence, and lived production, which made it illegal for any Indian to prepare on a daily basis the principles of egalitarian- ism, co-operation, equitable distribution of resources, respect for all faiths, and simplic- ity. Their mission: to obtain salt from the beach at Dandi, 241 miles away. An Experiment in Truth Britain was the mightiest empire the world had ever known, and India its “crown jewel.” Gandhi was leading a vast “experi- ment in Truth”: he was using the power of his heart to usher the oppressive British regime out of India as friends, not enemies. Gandhi and his fellow seekers implemented two primary methods to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. The first, constructive 1930 photos courtesy of programme, consisted of their own salt. In a Mahatma Gandhi Foundation indigenous, local, self- tropical climate, salt reliant projects such as is a necessity of life. cotton spinning, educa- Gandhi believed that tion, Hindu-Muslim rec- his movement imple- onciliation and unity, and mented a firm stance adoption of a national to right a wrong using language. Gandhi right means. He believed that by relying coined the word on themselves, Indians “Satyagraha” (literal- would rebuild their civi- ly, “holding fast to lization, and by doing so, Truth”) to reflect this liberate themsleves from philosophy of right- their dependence on eous nonviolent British services, com- struggle. modities, and structures. When Gandhi bent Gandhi’s second down to pick up a method, obstructive pro- pinch of salt, the Salt gramme, complimented Satyagraha was the first and was launched, and civil designed to firmly, clearly, and respectfully communicate disobedience began Gandhi breaks the salt laws at to the British that their rule was unwelcome. Non-coopera- as Indians nation- Dandi beach, April 6, 1930.

Peace Power Summer 2005 15 The Pinch Heard ‘round the World (continued)

Over 2,500 Satyagrahis prepare to “raid” the Dharasana salt works. May 21, 1930

“raided” the Dharasana salt works, a salt production facil- ity controlled by the British regime. Column after column of Indians advanced toward the gates and were severely beaten by the native police under British direction. Not one of the Satyagrahis raised a hand to defend himself as the clubs rained down, fracturing skulls. Many lost conscious- ness, and several perished. In the Gandhi movie, the scene was famously encapsulated by a Western reporter: “Whatever moral ascendancy the West once held was lost here today.” The Indians accepted this suffering on behalf of the Truth they clung to of ending colonial rule. While the Salt Satyagraha did not “succeed” in its short- term, situational objective – the salt laws were not repealed – it worked on a deeper level. British public opin- ion was deeply affected by the Dharasana nonviolent After the salt march, Gandhi wrote a letter to the moment, which shockingly revealed the violence inherent Viceroy expressing his firm determination to raid in the British colonial system. Ultimately, this led to India’s the Dharasana salt works. He was arrested and independence in 1947. bundled off in the middle of the night - and the raid went on without him!

wide produced and sold salt. The Salt Satyagraha move- ment was both obstructive, in that it opposed a structure of violence imposed by the British, and constructive, in that it encouraged Indians to self-reliantly produce their own salt. As part of the obstructive programme, Gandhi believed that there comes a time in a nonviolent movement when one must be willing to accept self-suffering to reach the hearts of the oppressors when their minds are closed to reason. Gandhi was meticulous in his attempts to respect- fully dialogue with the British regime about his concerns, and only began a Satyagraha movement when he was con- vinced there was no other way to reach the British on a deeper level. Tushar Gandhi (middle) organized a re-creation of Thousands were arrested, including Gandhi himself, and the salt march on the 75th anniversary. On his left is the jails packed. On May 21, 1930, over 2,500 Indians a man with a striking resemblance to the Mahatma!

16 Peace Power Summer 2005 A statue of Gandhi collecting salt. In addition to the hundreds of Indians, Marchers from all over the world there was a contingent of Pakistanis, united for a positive vision. many from Badshah Khan’s Northwest Frontier Province. A colleague of Salt March 2005 Gandhi’s, Khan organized the On March 12th, 2005, Tushar world’s first nonviolent army, com- Gandhi set off to retrace his great prised of 80,000 Muslims who suc- grandfather’s footsteps, accompa- cessfully opposed the British (see nied by 78 companions. I was only page 18). Also, there were interna- able to participate for the final six tionals from 11 countries, including days. By the time I joined, the crowd Ireland, China, and New Zealand. had swelled to many hundreds. A fasci- While some of us walked for spiritual nating hodgepodge of seekers had con- reasons, others seemed drawn to the verged on this small stretch of Gujarat, India. political aspect. The Congress Party co-spon- We marched for unique personal reasons, yet many sored the event and organized a massive rally of of us were united by a common vision: to more deeply (reportedly) 300,000 people to see Prime Minister Singh understand and connect to Gandhi’s legacy. and Sonia Gandhi (unrelated to the Mahatma). Their orange and green flags often blanketed the horizon. In the end, more than a few of us experienced the 75th anniversary march as a renewal of faith. Contemplating the countless movements that have incorporated the teach- ings and example of Gandhi, such as the US civil rights movement and the Philippines People Power movement that led to the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, I believe we have just begun to realize the power of active love to transform conflict and catalyze positive social change. On the salt march, we took small steps toward a beach, and on behalf of a new direction for humanity.

Resources:

The 75th anniversary salt march: www.saltmarch.org.in Pakistanis from the Northwest Frontier Province, The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation: www.mahatma.org.in dressed in the red garb of Badshah Khan’s Khudai The story of Gandhi’s personal transformation: Khidmatgars (see story page 18). Gandhi the Man by Eknath Easwaran

Peace Power Summer 2005 17 History of Nonviolence impoverished and mostly illiterate A Muslim Gandhi? Pashtun villagers of the Frontier Badshah Khan and the Province while still in his early twen- World’s First Nonviolent Army ties. In 1919, he led demonstrations Tim Flinders, Guest Contributor against British rule and was impris- his year marks the 75th anniversary of an unprecedent- oned for sedition T ed yet almost entirely unknown event in the history of for three years in nonviolent resistance. In the main square of the city of unusually harsh Peshawar, in modern day Pakistan, several hundred non- conditions that violent Pashtun resisters were shot and killed by British- almost broke his Badshah Khan (D. G. Tendulkar) led troops as they peacefully protested the arrest of their health. Undeterred, leader, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, know as Badshah Khan he continued devoting himself to education and reform to his followers, and later known in India as “the Frontier work among the Pashtun, and claimed to have visited all Gandhi.” 1000 villages over a period of about ten years. That they were gathered peacefully in the first place, Khan was a devout Muslim who claimed to draw his non- unarmed, is astonishing in itself since these were Muslim violence directly from Islam. “There is nothing surprising in Pashtun from the Northwest Frontier Province of India, a Muslim or a Pashtun like me subscribing to the creed of members of one of the most violent tribal societies in the nonviolence,” he wrote. “It is not a new creed. It was fol- world. Khan had persuaded them to lay down their guns lowed fourteen hundred years ago by the Prophet all the and knives and become members of his nonviolent army, time he was in Mecca, but we had so far forgotten it that the Khudai Khidmatgars, “Servants of God,” and join when Gandhi placed it before us, we thought he was spon- Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement against British rule. soring a novel creed.” Badshah Khan was born in 1890, a member of a wealthy In the late Twenties, after a long period of fasting and and aristocratic Muslim family. Educated and inspired by meditation, Khan came up with the idea of a “nonviolent British missionaries, he began opening schools among the army” of Pashtun tribesman who would renounce violence and the code of revenge deeply embedded in Pashtun soci- ety. They wore red military uniforms (and were called “Red Shirts”), took an oath foreswearing violence, retaliation and revenge, formed regiments, trained and drilled, and devoted themselves to village uplift, education and reform. When Gandhi declared Indian Independence in 1930, he ignited a massive civil disobedience movement across India in which thousands were jailed, beaten and some killed. On the remote Northwest Frontier, the repression was far worse. The British regarded the Pashtun tribes as sav- ages. They sealed the borders to the province and unleashed a campaign of violent repression unmatched during the civil disobedience movement. “Red Shirts” were publicly stripped and beaten (shades of Abu Ghraib), their property confiscated, their crops burnt. Through it all, they remained nonviolent. Some Khudai Khidmatgars chose suicide rather than allow themselves to be publicly humili- ated. But repression only gathered more recruits to the cause. At its height, Khan’s Khudai Khidmatgars numbered more than 80,000. On April 23rd, 1930, the British arrested Khan and a mass demonstration filled the main square of Peshawar to protest his arrest. In a moment of panic, British-led troops began firing into the crowd. In his study of nonviolence Khan with Gandhi on an evening walk. (J. V. Metha)

18 Peace Power Summer 2005 The Khudai Khidmatgars (“servants of God”): the world’s first nonviolent army. photos courtesy Nilgiri Press Gene Sharp, formerly of Harvard University’s Center for In his biography of Badshah Khan, Nonviolent Soldier of International Affairs, describes the scene: “When those in Islam (Nilgiri Press, 1995), Eknath Easwaran writes: front fell down wounded by the shots, those behind came “Badshah Khan based his life and work on the profound forward with their breasts bared and exposed themselves principle of nonviolence, raising an army of courageous to the fire one after another, and when they fell wounded men and women who translated it into action. Were his they were dragged back and others came forward to be example better known, the world might come to recognize shot at. This state of things continued that the highest religious values of Islam are deeply com- from 11 till 5 o’clock in the evening.” An estimated two to patible with a nonviolence that has the power to resolve three hundred Pashtun were killed. One regiment of sol- conflicts even against heavy odds.” diers refused to fire on the unarmed Pashtun and were India received its independence in 1947, and Khan’s court-martial and sentenced to long prison terms. province became part of Pakistan. His close ties to Gandhi But Khan’s nonviolent Pashtun army remained nonvio- and the Indian Congress Party aroused suspicions and his lent. Even Gandhi found it remarkable: “That such men movement was suppressed. Khan himself served another who would have killed a human being with no more fifteen years in prison for protesting various military dicta- thought than they would kill a chicken or hen should at the torships. In 1962 he became Amnesty International’s first bidding of one man (Khan) have laid down their arms and “Prisoner of the Year” and was the first non-Indian to accepted nonviolence as the superior weapon sounds receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. In almost like a fairy tale.” 1985 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and died When a truce was signed two years later, Indians were at home near Peshawar in 1988, at the age of 98, having given the right to elect their own provincial governments served thirty years in prison. for the first time. Khan’s brother, Dr. Khan Saheb became the first prime minister of the Northwest Frontier Province. Badshah Khan himself remained apolitical, choosing to Tim Flinders’ writings on nonviolence can be found in focus on village reform. He became a close confidante of Gandhi the Man and Nonviolent Soldier of Islam. (Visit Gandhi’s and can be seen in many photos, the 6 foot 4 www.nilgiri.org for info on these books.) He has recently Khan towering over the diminutive Mahatma. completed a screenplay on the life of Badshah Khan.

Peace Power Summer 2005 19 Global Conflict Parting Today’s Red Sea: Integrative Power, Transformation, and Compassion in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Matthew Taylor Many of us are familiar with threat power – it’s drama- tized in violent Hollywood movies, enacted by armies and ower – and its potential for transformation and com- police forces, and studied at the military science and polit- P passion - resides at the heart of the story of Exodus. ical science departments of Universities. We are also famil- In a dramatic moment, Moses leads the oppressed Jewish iar with exchange power – it resides in our wallets, drives people out of slavery in Egypt, only to be halted by the the world’s economy, and is studied at economics and seemingly impenetrable Red Sea. Then, the power: the Red business schools. Integrative power, to say the least, is Sea parts, and the Jews walk toward their freedom and less well understood. self-determination. As autonomous people, the Jews are Could threat power or exchange power “part the sea”? transformed by this power, and also they are implored to What power could bring about the kind of reconciliation embrace compassion, when God reminds the angels that that would enable long-term healing and cooperation the Egyptians “are God’s children” too. between Israelis and Palestinians? If integrative power is Today, Jews must part a modern Red Sea – the psychoso- the one at work here – and the one we need to harness cial fear, anger, and mistrust that divides Palestinians and right now - let’s examine how this kind of power has oper- Israelis – to claim a different kind of freedom, one of com- ated in other modern freedom struggles. munal reconciliation and cooperation for life sustenance. If we are to take the parting of the sea as a metaphor in Gandhi and Integrative Power the context of an oppressed people’s struggle for freedom, In May of 1893, a young Indian attorney named then maybe our inquiry into its applicability to today’s Mohandas K. Gandhi was ejected from a train in challenge could engage the questions of power, transfor- Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for one reason: he was not mation, and compassion. What is the power symbolized by white. Though holding a first-class ticket, the train opera- the parting of the red sea? What does this power make tors decided he was not fit to occupy a first-class cabin possible? seat, based solely on his skin color. Gandhi made a deci- sion that changed his life, and history. He decided to trans- The Three Faces of Power mute his anger, remove all hint of vengeance or reprisal, Imagine it: The sea stretches and positively approach this in infinity before you. One wave insult as one against all so strong it could pick you up Integrative Power: “I do something humanity. He concluded that all and carry you like a twig to authentic (from my heart), and in the parties involved were shore. An undertow so powerful process, I have faith that we will end demeaned by this unjust situa- it could drag you to the depths, tion. He set out to free helpless and drowning. Your up closer in our relations.” oppressed and oppressor alike mortal strength seems power- from the structure of violence. less against the currents and tides. What force could pos- Gandhi converted a negative drive of anger and resent- sibly “part the sea?” What force could bring about freedom ment into a positive drive of universal love and determina- for an oppressed people? What force could facilitate recon- tion for social justice. In the process, he unleashed an ciliation in a seemingly “intractable” conflict? What is that indescribable power inside himself. This personal conver- power? sion of a negative drive into a positive drive is precisely Peace researcher Kenneth Boulding talks about the what the sea’s parting symbolizes – the power unleashed “three faces of power” – threat power, exchange power, by an individual’s spiritual love, a source of limitless and integrative power. He defines each as follows: strength. This is the “greatest power [humans] have been Threat power: “You do something I want you to do, or I’ll endowed with.” If the sea is a barrier, the parting of the sea do something to you that you don’t want me to do.” can be seen as our personal ability to surmount the most Exchange power: “I do something you want me to do, difficult obstacle when we unleash an internal positive and in return you do something I want you to do.” drive. Gandhi said of this conversion, “I have learnt Integrative power: “I do something authentic (from my through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to con- heart), and in the process, I have faith that we will end up serve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into closer in our relations.” energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted

20 Peace Power Summer 2005 art by Peter Zhang into a power which can move the world.” strates that integrative power can bring about mass social Gandhi made it his mission in life to right the wrong uti- change and freedom for both oppressed and oppressor. Dr. lizing integrative power. Thus began a 40-year freedom Martin Luther King Jr. is a second example: his conversion struggle for Indian civil rights in South Africa and home of anger against white supremacy and segregation to a rule in India. Gandhi’s movement involved dialogue, self- positive dream for white, black, Jewish, Christian, and sacrifice, constructive work to rebuild India’s indigenous Native American fellowship inspired a nation. economy and cultural civilization, and willingness to nonvi- What do Gandhi’s and King’s struggles have to do with olently oppose injustice – always with an eye to an integra- Judaism, and today’s “Red Sea”? The answer is that these tive process and outcome. Gandhi’s steadfast commitment ocular demonstrations of actual integrative power can to right means and right ends, and the ultimate goal of both inform our understanding of the biblical metaphor friendship with the oppressors, is reflected by British his- and the moral lessons we derive for approaching today’s torian Arnold Toynbee’s comment, “Gandhi made it impos- conflicts. sible for us to go on ruling India, but he made it possible to leave with dignity.” Indeed, “They Are My Children Too” After the sea is parted and Gandhi and his followers had “I am a believer in the truth of all the done something authentic, and the Jews successfully cross moved closer in relations with great religions of the world. There over the dry seabed to free- the British. will be no lasting peace on Earth dom, the pursuing Egyptian army is swallowed whole and In addition, the parting of the unless we learn not merely to toler- Red Sea demonstrates what drowned. This event seems to becomes possible when a nega- ate but even to respect the other offer no positive metaphorical tive drive is converted to a pos- faiths as our own.” –Gandhi implications for Gandhi’s or itive drive. To India’s numerous King’s movements, both of “realist skeptics,” Gandhi’s plans which intentionally sought to to use integrative power to usher out the British as friends love, free, and befriend oppressors, never to harm. (When seemed about as plausible as parting the Red Sea! To one India suffered an atrocity of outright mass murder by skeptic who said, “You know nothing of history; this can British soldiers at Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi’s approach not be done,” Gandhi’s response was, “You know nothing was conciliatory, even to the perpetrator of the killing: of history. Just because it has never happened does not “What General Dyer did we may all do if we had his irre- mean it is not possible.” Of course, now history demon- sponsibility and opportunity. To err is human and it must

Peace Power Summer 2005 21 Parting Today’s Red Sea (continued) matter in such a vast social problem? We might study Gandhi’s movement be held to be equally human to forgive if we though being and note that, while millions of Indians followed Gandhi fallible would like rather to be forgiven than punished and during the “high points,” at times the movement shrank to reminded of our misdeed.”) Gandhi clearly believed in sep- only 40 or so of his most committed colleagues. What this arating the oppressor from their agenda by opposing the means is that the dedication level of each individual might unjust actions but not hating the people who carried out have been the crucial factor in history’s most powerful the actions. Retributive violence is not a sustainable, inte- Empire leaving India on cordial terms. Without the 40, grative approach to our problems. what would have happened? The next part of the story has significant implications. Second, we can draw upon past real-world examples to According to Talmud, as the angels began rejoicing when envision a radical transformation, both in the process and the Egyptians were drowned, God said, “My children are the outcome. Gandhi set out to do something so radical sinking in the sea, and you sing songs?” Here, God is stat- that few could even imagine it. ing that all humans are of equal worth; none is more pre- Just like the skeptics who doubted Gandhi’s plans to cious than the other. Gandhi worked tirelessly for social escort the British out as friends, some might believe justice, promoting uplift and equal rights for the oppressed Israelis and Palestinians cannot be friends. We can only classes of India. Previously known as “untouchables,” he answer that Israeli/Palestinian communal reconciliation is called them “Harijans,” or “children of God,” and promot- possible, and inevitable when the idea begins to gain trac- ed alleviation of their oppression which in many ways was tion in the minds of people. Gandhi’s manifesto “Hind comparable to the social Swaraj” (or “Indian Home stigma African-Americans What if we were to believe that Palestinians Rule”) had a catalyzing faced in Dr. King’s day. effect on India, and a seri- Gandhi also sought fel- and Israelis have been chosen to make ous peace manifesto (“The lowship between persons peace with each other and to demonstrate to Integrated People of the of all faiths, and said, “I the world the power of love to heal conflict? Holy Land” perhaps?), sup- am a believer in the truth ported by dedicated indi- of all the great religions viduals (see point one) of the world. There will be no lasting peace on Earth unless could lead to a transformational process and outcome. we learn not merely to tolerate but even to respect the Non-Governmental Organizations who specialize in other faiths as our own…. I am a Hindu. I am a Muslim. I am processes of reconciliation could be available when those a Jew. I am a Christian. I am, after all, a human being, and I “dedicated individuals” help mobilize a pro-reconciliation am connected to all my fellow human beings!” movement. We Are All Chosen Third, can those of us who are Jewish be courageous enough to expand our ideas of “chosenness” into a new So the three main lessons we can derive from the part- egalitarian peacemaking vision? If we are to believe in the ing of the sea are: 1) conversion of a negative drive to a truth of Gandhi’s and King’s work for human equality, then positive drive unleashes an individual’s greatest power, 2) we might ask ourselves, how can we create a collaborative when this power is born, the unimaginable becomes possi- process and outcome where every Palestinian and Israeli is ble, 3) all human beings are of equal worth in the eyes of equally valued? How can we transform our thinking from God. All three of these lessons were demonstrated in the “we are chosen” to “we are all chosen?” persons of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What if we were to believe that Palestinians and Israelis – their words, their actions, and their movements. have been chosen to make peace with each other and to Centering our approach in both recent historical success demonstrate to the world the power of love to heal con- stories of integrative power, and our highest moral vision, flict? We cannot erase the past; we can transform the pres- how can we part today’s “Red Sea”: heal the Holy Land and ent and build a future together. While some might see the transform the Palestinian/Israeli conflict? world as it is now, our vision, like Gandhi’s and King’s, can First point: conversion of a negative drive to a positive be one of the world as it should be. For this, in fact, is what drive begins in the individual. Thus, we who are parties to the unpronouncable Hebrew word for God literally means: this conflict – Israelis, Palestinians, the diaspora – can God as God was, as God is now, and as God will be, in the make individual decisions to convert our anger at the best way God can be. injustice we see every day into a positive drive to heal the If we are to walk through today’s Red Sea – together, wounds, love one another, and seek the humanity in each arm in arm, sisters and brothers – what kind of personal other. We can be angry at the structures that cause pain, power do we each need to harness? but offer love and dignity to the people, including and especially those who drive the structures. Some might ask: How does an individual decision

22 Peace Power Summer 2005 Global Conflict Can Nonviolence “Succeed” In Iraq? Chelsea Collonge violent, because US soldiers will respond violently—but US soldiers crack down on violent resistance as well. One he challenge is to speak out, rise up, and act of the strengths of nonviolence is that it makes an armed T against the unilateral American display of unbridled power less powerful by provoking an obviously illegitimate military power, as well as against acts of violence by some use of force, thus eliciting outside support and pressure. Iraqis toward that same American might..... This double cri- The insurgecy, on the other hand, provides a seductive tique arises out of the Qur'anic view that to save the life of excuse for US troops to remain in Iraq–“to prevent chaos.” one human being—any human being—is to have saved An additional benefit of nonviolence is the way it can the life of all humanity, and to take the life of a single involve and empower a wider segment of the Iraqi popula- human being, any human being, is as if to destroy all of tion, including women and children. This is important humanity [Qur'an 5:32]. because revolutions carry the seed of future government– –Omid Safi, from Twilight of Empire one that may not be respectful of the rights of all people. What good is nonviolence in a situation of aching, com- There are also many foreigners doing nonviolent inter- plex violence backed by a country with crushing power at vention in Iraq. Before the war started, Voices in the its disposal? As a peacemaker, I have come to terms with Wilderness—a Chicago-based group that is facing massive the fact that nonviolence may not be able to correct and fines for smuggling humanitarian supplies into Iraq during heal the situation in Iraq–even with a sustained effort, it the economic sanctions—was part of 500+ people who might not “succeed.” However, in the long run, nonvio- acted as “human shields.” They camped out at water treat- lence always works to foster conditions for peace. Violence ment facilities and hospitals as the war started, to draw never does, and its short-term “success” is also uncertain. attention to America’s illegal bombing tactics and to stand Whether embodied or simply used, nonviolence is a in solidarity with their Iraqi friends. UK Human Shields was potent form of resistance that uses power other than that swamped with upwards of 10,000 applications to process, of military force. This includes the power of getting in the even though American shields were expecting up to 12 way, of making a situation ungovernable for an oppressor, years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. as well as the power of rehumanizing a situation, offering Christian Peacemaker Teams are still in Iraq, monitoring dignity, and winning allies. conflict situations, documenting human rights abuses, and Advocating nonviolence is different from condemning advocating on behalf of detainees. Like the Code Pink del- those who choose to use violence in situations of extreme egations and American Friends Service Committee corre- injustice. I cannot support the resistance as long as ele- spondents, they serve as an important link between ments of it kill and maim people, because to me being anti- Americans and Iraqis, humanizing each side to the other. war is about protecting human life. But my job as an Along with the few humanitarian aid workers and NGOs American is to tell my government–not the Iraqi that remain in Iraq, they are accepting suffering and dan- people–what to do. As Martin Luther King Jr., said: “I knew ger to send a message that their lives are no more valuable that I could never again raise my voice against the violence than the lives of Iraqis. Some have died, like Marla Ruzicka, of the oppressed ghettos without having first spoken clear- a 28-year-old Californian who founded an organization to ly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, count and assist civilian casualties of war (CIVIC) and was my own government.” killed in a suicide bombing several weeks ago. What I can do is point out the potential of nonviolent Nonviolence is also a powerful tool in the hands of resistance. Nonviolent Civilian Based Defense was effec- Americans who want to end their country’s occupation of tive in Czechoslovakia during the “Prague Spring” uprising Iraq. Domestic civil disobedience and direct action have of 1968 against occupying Soviets, and it involves the long been important elements of antiwar movements. withdrawal of economic and social cooperation by the peo- Principled nonviolence, with its focus on non-alienating ple. Nonviolent protests have happened all over Iraq since communication and respectful dialogue with opponents, is the occupation began; this April, a huge demonstration also crucial for reaching out to the broad base of called by Moqtada al-Sadr demanded an end to occupation Americans who, if feeling safe enough to open their minds and a speedy trial for Saddam. More so than the insur- to new knowledge, can be persuaded to oppose the war. gency, these demonstrations send a clear message that is Finally, nonviolence is crucial to all struggles against war more likely to be heard as moral and legitimate. Another and imperialism because of its powerful, consistent, and nonviolent episode happened last August, when Iraqis in nonpartisan argument against militarism, as well as its Najaf succeeded in protecting the Shrine of Ali through focus on demonstrating a new vision in the world. With its nonviolent interposition, allowing both Iraqi militias and emphasis on just means, nonviolence dissolves the logic US soldiers to back off with dignity. of destroying a nation in order to save it (read: “delivering” Iraqis may feel that they don’t have the choice to be non- democracy to Iraq). (continued on pg. 30) Peace Power Summer 2005 23 Public Policy A New Vision of Justice Restorative Justice is more effective than the Death Penalty Sujal Parikh resources; it wastes hundreds of millions of dollars nation- ally that could otherwise be used on more constructive s one whose husband and mother-in-law have died programs such as offender rehabilitation and victim com- A the victims of murder assassination, I stand firmly pensation. and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for those Beyond a simple cost-benefit analysis, executions convicted of capital offenses. An evil deed is not redeemed demonstrate an utter lack of regard for life. Capital punish- by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in ment, which is simply state-sanctioned retributive murder, the taking of a human life. Morality is never upheld by a reinforces the same disrespect for life as homicide. legalized murder. Michael Nagler points out in The Search for a Nonviolent –Coretta Scott King Future that the death penalty sends a message “about the expendability of human life – and the impossibility of Last December Senegal became the latest country to bringing a violent person back into the community.” Every stop capital punishment, joining 119 other countries and time we execute a member of our local, state-wide, or twelve states that have become national community we rein- abolitionist in law or practice. force the notion that taking a In March the United States took While failing to deter crime, capital human life is justified to a step in the same direction punishment does succeed in achieve the ends we seek. when the Supreme Court ruled deterring respect for human life. Moreover, we attempt to rectify that individuals can not be exe- the injustice of one crime by cuted for crimes committed committing another; we try to when they are under the age of eighteen. Until then, soothe one family’s anguish by killing someone else’s America stood as one of the only nations that still openly child. Far from solving anything, this only adds to the pain executed minors. Despite this caused by the initial crime. progressive step, the United While failing to deter crime, States remains among the top capital punishment does suc- four countries in terms of annu- ceed in deterring respect for al executions, alongside China, human life. Iran, and Viet Nam. An alternative to our current The death penalty is an out- – and mostly ineffective – meth- dated and ineffective attempt ods of retribution can be found at justice. While costing tens of in the field of restorative jus- millions of dollars more than tice, described by Prison other methods of justice in Fellowship International as “a California alone , it fails to process whereby parties with a reduce crime or provide protec- stake in a specific offence tion to the populace. Decades resolve collectively how to deal of analysis by criminologists with the aftermath of the have shown that the death offence and its implications for penalty is not a greater deter- the future.” More specifically, it rent than other methods of jus- seeks to address the effects of tice, and some studies indicate crime on the criminals, their vic- that it may increase murder tims, and the community as a rates. For example, after Robert whole. Restorative justice gives Harris was executed at San offended individuals a voice in Quentin in 1992, the homicide Painting of Malcolm X by Kevin Cooper. Many the resolution process, rather rate in Los Angeles was higher death row inmates look up to Malcolm X, who than simply focusing on the for eight months. Taking only said, “I believe in human rights for everyone, legal and prison systems. In efficacy of the criminal justice and none of us is qualified to judge each other doing so, it uses prevention of system into account, the death and that none of us should therefore have that crime and reparation of harm as penalty is a gross misuse of authority.” a measure of efficacy, rather

24 Peace Power Summer 2005 Monica Hahn and Michelle Simon hold paintings done by Kevin Cooper, who was scheduled to be executed in February 2004 in California despite evidence of his innocence and of racial bias during his trial. Activists, community members, and politicians in California and around the world mobilized to save Kevin. The State of California has continued pursuing executions, the most recent being Donald Beardslee in January, 2005.

than the harshness of a penalty imposed on an offender. most wasteful of our current methods is capital punish- An example of a restorative justice program is victim- ment, which undermines other aspects of the criminal jus- offender mediation, which brings people on both sides of tice system, and more importantly, inculcates the idea that a crime together with the help of a mediator so the offend- life is expendable. er can take responsibility for the crime. Together, all par- Gandhi quipped that an eye for an eye will leave the ties involved can develop a way to address the effects of world blind. The first step in a new vision of justice is abo- the transgression. The ultimate goal of restorative justice lition of the death penalty. is to reintroduce the transgressor back into society in a manner that is safe for everyone. Instead of dehumanizing Resources offenders by characterizing them as permanent monsters that should be segregated from others, restorative justice Campaign to End the Death Penalty emphasizes each person’s ability to change for the better. http://www.nodeathpenalty.org It gives us the possibility of “bringing a violent person back into the community.” Amnesty International, USA Though temporary imprisonment may be appropriate http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish for certain crimes and certain offenders, it should be used in conjunction with other methods of rehabilitation. By Prison Fellowship International constructively addressing less egregious crimes, we can reduce the numbers of offenders that go on to commit Centre for Justice and Reconciliation more serious transgressions. Rather than wasting our http://www.restorativejustice.org resources on ineffective methods that do nothing to address the needs of people affected by a crime, we The Search for a Nonviolent Future should develop ways to reduce recidivism and help victims by Michael Nagler and the community recover from a crime’s effects. The Peace Power Summer 2005 25 Public Policy We Are All Pro-Life Re-examining the abortion debate to find common ground Imag Carolyn McMahon anti-abortion position, the Christian Coalition of America (CCA), bases its position both on respect for the dignity of magine mobilizing the passions of each side of the human life, and also on a broader adherence to generally I abortion debate toward a collective goal. The poten- nonviolent practices. An interesting juxtaposition stems tial power of such an alliance would be incredible. from the group Feminists for Life, an organization that Still, for many, it is difficult to overcome the stigmas of aligns themselves with the ‘pro life’ side based on feminist today’s politically disputed debate. Abortion. The word concerns. drips with connotation. Arguably the most polarized, hotly The “Pro-Choice” group proves equally diverse, with contested issue in contemporary society, the abortion women arguing for government protection of their funda- question has reshaped the American political climate as mental rights, to libertarians claiming that abortion ought well as individual minds alike. not to be a concern of the government at all. Still, taking Inflammatory dialogue and provocative claims create a away inflammatory rhetoric, the underlying goals of each seemingly irreconcilable divide. “Pro-Choice” and “Pro- interest remain remarkably similar. Indeed, many of the Life” labels euphemize the fundamental issue at hand and published concerns and goals of each organization are pull the sides farther apart. Tragically, as they yell to over- scarcely distinguishable. power their opposition, each loses the ability to listen. All emphasize the need to reduce the number of Communication breaks down all together. The potential unwanted pregnancies. All insist upon respect for the for progress deteriorates. mother, and medical and psychological counseling for So the question remains: how can we transform this them, and in recognizing the extremely difficult position of hostile conflict? Within a composed dialogue, it is critical pregnant women, seek to help. In the fundamental con- that conviction on every side of the issue remains intact cerns of seemingly irreconcilably opposed groups, com- and never marginalized. How might we arrive at some col- mon concerns abound. The groups all value life and lective discussion while addressing the sincere, fervent respect it; the conflict comes from how to go about imple- opinions of all involved? menting and institutionalizing such sentiments. The issue First, it is of great importance to recognize the complex- can be simplified to a trite question of the degree to which ities of each position. “Pro-Choice” and “Pro-Life” cate- each life is valued; some sides lean towards the life of the gories oversimplify. Each side incorporates varied ideolo- mother, while others favor that of the yet-unborn child. gies and reasons for their support. Aligning itself with the Imagine the power that would result from a coalition of all

Mission Statements of pro-choice and anti-abortion NGOs are surprisingly compatible

Planned Parenthood “We believe that respect and value for diversity in all aspects of our organization are essential.”

NARAL Pro-Choice America “better access to more effective contraceptive options and better access to other kinds of reproductive health care and information…works to reduce the number of abortions.”

Birth Choice “What do you really want…Becoming fully informed empowers you to make an intelli- gent, thoughtful, confident choice.”

Feminists for Life “no woman should be forced to chose between pursuing her education and her career plans and sacrificing her child” “believe in the strength of women and the potential of every human life”

Catholic Church’s “aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and ... does not Project Rachel doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision.” “one-on-one spiritual and psychological care for those who are suffering”

Please see resources on next page for the websites where you can read the mission statements in their entirety.

26 Peace Power Summer 2005 sides. A united force of such powerful concerns could do productive goals. wonders. Consider a practical application. Each interest Such sentiments are not mere theoretical proposals. A agreed on the need for improved sex education. While group called Search for Common Ground helped to medi- they may differ in their methods, the CCA pushing for absti- ate a dialogue between each side of this very conflict. nence programs, and NARAL encouraging more explicit During a 1993 abortion conference, representatives from a contraceptive education, still in addressing the national wide breadth of interests came together in a discussion ethos, one that in their minds encourages and de-values which produced three joint-authored statements. The sex, the groups agree that a shift in education must occur. diverse group came to consensus on issues such as mak- So perhaps in an attempt to find more compatible posi- ing adoption more accessible, preventing teen pregnan- tions, it is necessary for each to step back even from the cies, and alleviating societal pressures in school and the education level and attempt to agree on a question of soci- workplace which prompt many women to resort to abor- ety’s attitude toward sexuality, and by extrapolation tion. Written policy plans concerning adoption, teen preg- toward pregnancies. It is very nancy prevention, and clinic conceivable that the religious activism serve as tangible proof right and spiritual left would We must each respect dissenting of the real benefits of civil dis- agree to work together to alter views and listen to others if we hope cussion. The conference hoped media and popular culture’s to reverse the trend of hostility and to increase productive, peace- degradation of modern sexuali- ful dialogue in the abortion ty. work toward our productive goals. debate. With combined efforts, In uniting to implement such they hope to have increased programs, not only would each obtain some of their goals, power to push forward legislative reform which will for- but in the process would begin to re-humanize the conflict. ward their combined goals: promoting respect and dignity With cooperation, individual articulation and genuine con- of both potential mothers and children. cerns would replace violent slogans and outspoken figure- Still, more important even than an immediate solution to heads. Increased dialogue would allow for an increased the problem, it is imperative to mitigate the violent nature likelihood to find common ground, which will ultimately of the abortion debate. For a debate about respect and lead to a more fruitful engagement of the issue. We must love of life to take such a vicious, aggressive form is truly each respect dissenting views and listen to others if we paradoxical. These fundamental concerns for respect and hope to reverse the trend of hostility and work toward our life must even extend to individuals seen in opposition.

Resources Search for Common Ground: Birth Choice: http://www.sfcg.org/programmes/us/us_life.html http://www.birthchoice.net/home.html

Planned Parenthood Federation of America: Feminists for Life: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/por http://www.feministsforlife.org/who/aboutus.htm tal/aboutus/mission.xml Catholic Church, Project Rachel: NARAL Pro-Choice America: http://www.hopeafterabortion.com/ http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/about/ Join the Conflict Transformation Resource Center! We are a group of dedicated students who will offer mediation, preventative education, facilitation, and other services to the Berkeley campus. Do you want to join our team? Do you want to help build a vibrant, sustainable program to address conflict in a proactive manner? We are looking for dedicated volunteers interested in learning and practicing: • mediation • intake and case management • workshop building • and much more! If you are interested, please email: calmediate {AT} softhome.net (replace {AT} with @) and let us know how you would like to be involved! Also, sign up for our decal class, which will be listed online at decal.org for Fall 2005. Search for “Campus Mediation and Conflict Transformation.” Our web site: http://ocf.berkeley.edu/~conflict/

Peace Power Summer 2005 27 REFLECTIONS Breathing Peace What does spirituality have to do with being an activist for peacemaking?

BREATHING PEACE Eli Sasaran In terms of describing the logic of breathing peace, we can reflect on what seems to be a common experience. For hat does our “breathing” have to do with cultivat- instance, it seems that my life was not created by my own W ing peace? What does spirituality have to do with power, but rather that some other power (whether parents, being an activist for peacemaking? God, or ultimate mystery, etc.) had moved or “given” me Allow me to share a personal story of my time in Haiti to life. This movement of giving or offering that led to my life illustrate “breathing peace” and the relationship seems to imply that my humanity is reasonably of spirituality to being an activist for peace- called a movement of gifting, or simply put, making. I spent five months in Haiti a gift. As a gift, my nature has a value during 1999. When I encountered or dignity that can never be changed the tragic poverty and the out- or lost by what we do or have, at casts, questions of social jus- least in terms of being created tice intensely arose in my as a gift. mind. As a middle class citi- Although this dignity seems zen of the U.S., I was dumb- inherent, the value of our struck and confused. It was dignity may be experienced only when I turned to and at different levels depend- transformed my style of ing on how we are sensed meditation and prayer into as a gift. For instance is our a more contemplative lis- being from mere biological tening, that I was drawn forces, parents, God, or ulti- beyond the construction of mate mystery, etc. and is our finite thoughts or questions being for mere survival, con- into a sense of greater bound- sumption, reputation, happi- lessness and interdependence. ness, love, participation in In other words, spirituality liberat- divine life, etc? Nevertheless, not ed me from ingrained assumptions only myself, but all humans would about the “deserving poor” that set lim- seem to be at least created as gift, and its on my giving, and for responding to those thus, with an unalterable dignity. Further, in need as a way of “being gift” in an interdependent animals, plants, and perhaps all that is, except God cosmos. I was now asking “how I can empower” along or the first mover, has been created as a gift, and thus with “what structures are preventing the movement of seems to share in a kind of cosmic dignity. Humans, as gift?” self-conscious gifts, have a unique role to play in both These questions born of direct experience invite us into affirming the cosmic dignity and cultivating the general deeper reflection. The peace I, and perhaps many of us, movement of gift in the cosmos. seek is a “way of life.” It is not a mere momentary flash of In light of this experience, it seems that being gift and light that stirs us to dream of what might come in the far- having unalterable dignity create a certain orientation to off future. Nor is it merely an instrument for temporary life. When one affirms such an orientation by seeking the calm, while we continue to depths of our being and participate in the de- the implications for some humanization, oppres- The peace I, and perhaps many of us, kind of “way of being” in sion, injustice, and vio- seek is a “way of life”...a the cosmos, we enter into lence that suffocate our the realm of spirituality. vitality. Peace is a “way of “breathing” that moves deeply within We seem to awaken and life,” a “breathing” that and throughout all of life. create a space for the moves deeply within and movement of spirit, under- throughout all of life. stood as being of the self

28 Peace Power Summer 2005 but also more than the self. spirituality liberated me A certain flow, sometimes As a peacemaker, one would also be a gift of from ingrained assump- sensed as a movement of tions about the deserv- love, gradually affirms, love even to those who hurt, injure, or want ing poor and for invites, and guides the inner to kill; not to weakly allow them to hurt, but responding to those in and outer dynamic of life. to strongly resist them with the power of need as a way of being Such spirituality is the gift. When one begins to “breathing” that moves love that is willing to suffer in order to consistently ask ques- deeply within our being and challenge the logic of humiliation. tions such as “how I can throughout our life. We move empower” along with more by way of principle than by strategy, as means and “what structures are preventing the movement of gift,” one ends become one and the same. For instance, if our “end” is responding to the invitation to “breathe peace.” Along is a nonviolent loving society then our “means” is nonvio- with the practice of mediation or prayer, one is drawn lent love. deeper into this spirituality of peacemaking within the In this spirituality, we may “breathe” peace and become horizon of gift, dignity, and non-possessiveness. peacemakers by seeking to live in accordance with being a gift. To live in accordance would seem to include: valuing “What If?” Scenarios one’s self, since one is a gift; living with gratitude and Let’s challenge ourselves to creatively imagine alterna- attention to the source of one’s being, especially through tive responses to violence! You may participate in the meditation and prayer; realizing that all people are also dialogue by emailing: whatif {AT} calpeacepower.org gifts; affirming the common cosmic dignity of all existence Submit a direct response for our next publication, or by caring for the whole environment; being willing to offer write your own “what if” scenario. oneself (time, effort, skills, playfulness, etc.) as a gift to others, especially to those who suffer from a lack of gifts in What if… Someone starts yelling at you and putting you their life; and being willing to practice both forgiveness down? Rather than responding out of anger, hatred, or and reconciliation in order to restore broken relationships a sense of humiliation, try to respond with empathy, so that one can try to be gifts again in a new way after we love, and dignity. One can maintain a firm tone of voice have fallen short. As a peacemaker, one would also be a by transforming the logic of humiliation into an invita- gift of love even to those who hurt, injure, or want to kill; tion for conversion. One could say, “I’m disappointed not to weakly allow them to hurt, but to strongly resist you feel it's necessary to put me down in order to them with the power of love that is willing to suffer in order express or maintain your dignity.” Also, “my dignity is to challenge the logic of humiliation. One seeks conver- not dependent on your approval. Perhaps you can sion rather than destruction. One would try to be a mirror share the source of your anger, and we can discuss the for the violent one of who they really are deep down, that issue with a hope for understanding and reconcilia- is, a gift, in order to expose their violence and restore them tion.” to the way of gift, even if it means giving one’s life. As a What if…. Someone starts pushing and punching you? peacemaker, one would similarly challenge all systems of If someone starts pushing and punching you, one way non-gift, i.e. oppression, that fail to value and cultivate the to respond is to think merely of physical defense and to gift of each person. respond out of a kind of self-preservation or posses- However, to live in discord with being a gift seems to be siveness. However, another option is to consider the acting possessive, as if one made and solely owns one’s good of our whole person and of all people involved; to self. If one were possessive, non-gift, then one would feel act in light of us all being gifts. One could protect the a lack of security and worth; and sense the same lack of body by covering up, blocking, or holding the other. At worth in others. For instance, if one lacks a sense of worth the same time conversion-seeking, dignity-illuminating then one would tend not risk being vulnerable, i.e. being a statements could be made. “How do you think the oth- gift, in a relationship, and thus struggle to experience ers watching this are effected?” or “Is this the deepest friendship or love. One could easily get caught up in being desire of your heart?” or “I still love you and am willing possessive of ideas, methods, things and even people for to forgive you.” or “You are a child of God, and God one’s own benefit. One could easily develop a habit of loves you” etc. One could also take challenging and reactivity and fear by trying to falsely defend oneself or inviting positions, such as lotus meditation or prayerful others by the “way of violence,” which disregards others, kneeling. Once one gets their attention, perhaps a con- oneself, and the cosmos as gifts that offer and empower versation can be engaged. But throughout the ordeal, rather than anxiously cling to and destroy. a willingness to suffer would remain constant as a way In closing, with the light of these reflections on living as to clearly expose the violence, and thus, have the best a gift I invite us to return to the experience in Haiti where prospect at seeing truth.

Peace Power Summer 2005 29 The Israeli Refusnik Movement (cont. from p. 11) Women’s Century of Peace (cont. from p. 8) The first goal of the peace force would be to prevent any way to make sure they do not do something bad out of outbreak of violence in the region. Secondly, if violence did their helpless ignorance. I was quite shocked to learn that break out, the peace force would use nonviolent methods the word siya-sar had such a degrading connotation. I had to bring the situation under control in order to start a used it myself without knowing what it meant because I process of conflict transformation and find a peaceful solu- have heard others use it in everyday language. I am told by tion to the disagreement. The third goal would be to create some that the word is not really derogatory but a sort of a situation in Israel and Palestine in which war and violent “endearment” term that is supposed to be mindful of conflicts would be outlawed. women’s role in society. The role of women in society In this context, the growing number of refusniks, who should never be degraded to such terminology and most currently withhold their support and cooperation from the would agree. It is difficult to erase such terms from soci- army, would eventually lead to the collapse of the military ety’s mind when women are constantly undermined in their establishment. Until the collapse of the military establish- status as human beings. ment, the refusniks should aim to institute the alternative Despite all this, progress is being made. Women busi- organization with themselves as the core group of mem- ness entrepreneurs and educators are returning to bers. Additionally, the peace force lines would be open to Afghanistan from the all over the world to rebuild and any volunteer, man or woman, Israeli or Palestinian. The reconstruct society by employing other women and organization’s mission statement would include resolving empowering them to be self-sufficient and rely less on conflicts nonviolently, promoting peaceful solutions to dis- handouts. Women’s clinics are being built which, of course, putes, acting to guarantee common security for all human are in need of women’s help. Schools are being built and beings, and intervening in the midst of violence as a nonvi- expanded to accommodate space for girls. Programs such olent third party (Nonviolent Third Party Intervention is as these are stepping-stones to a better future for women. used today by the Peace Force, and Peace Brigades I believe that women have to be empowered before true International). The peace force members must believe, peace is acquired in Afghanistan and other places. accept and be trained in the discipline of nonviolence in Everyone should take a lesson from the women of order to present an alternative model of conflict resolution Rwanda after the genocide of 1994 and see how they have to the violent approach of the military. In addition, the rebuilt a country after an atrocity that was compared to the members would have distinctive and recognizable uni- Jewish Holocaust. Women’s representation in the govern- forms, so that in a time of conflict the peace force would be ment in Rwanda is unmatched compared to any other able to act freely without being hurt by either side of the country. Their efforts have started many programs that disagreement. The peace force should also establish local educate and empower women in a society that 10 years cells, which would operate in every community and assist ago had no rights, including a vital economic right, the them in acquiring the ability and techniques to solve prob- right to property. Women are educated in numbers that are lems on their own. The local cells could also work as medi- unprecedented for that country. ators in disputes, educators for peace, or organizers of I have great hopes for the future. We must not forget the peace rallies. By adopting these roles as the organization’s plight of women in Afghanistan and around the world. It social practices, the peace force would also serve as a has been too long in earthly terms for half of the popula- peace keeping and peace building institute in Israel and tion of the world to be uninvolved in bringing about peace Palestine. This peace force model, which provides peace and justice in the world. I am an optimist and I think that making, keeping, and building services, can be and should there will be significant changes in women’s role in the be implemented in other areas of conflict around the future and I would like to dedicate this century to women world. Doing so would allow different communities to and call it “Women’s Century.” resolve their conflicts in a nonviolent and peaceful manner. Resources Could Nonviolence “Succeed” in Iraq (from p. 23) Courage to Refuse: http://www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp The spirituality of nonviolence—that all humans are Refusers Solidarity Network: interconnected and that their lives are of equal worth—is a http://www.refusersolidarity.net/ powerful force for peace. Marla Ruzicka, upon leaving her Shministim: work in post-Sept. 11th Afghanistan, wrote, “My heart http://www.shministim.org/indexenglish.html broke and I made a commitment to ensure that no more Kidron, Peretz. Refusenik! Israel’s Soldiers of innocent Afghans had to suffer.” What if all Americans Conscience. New York: Zed Books, 2004. made that kind of commitment? Desai, Narayan. Shanti-Sena in India. Varanasi: V.N. Bhargava, Manohar Press, 1962. Besides the organizations above, check out www.globalex- change.org/countries/mideast/iraq/links for more info on Iraq. Nonviolence Peace Force: http://www.nvpf.org

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African-American Studies 124: PACS 164B, Nonviolence Today Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. The development of nonviolence since the Civil Rights movement. Using the thought and actions of Martin Luther King, this course Nonviolent theory and practice seen in recent insurrectionary move- examines the major events of the Civil Rights Movement. Reading ments (freedom struggles), social justice struggles, nonviolent inter- includes original works by King as well as secondary sources with a vention across borders and protection of the environment in the special emphasis on African American religion, nonviolence, and emerging world of global corporatism. integration. (Fall ‘05: MWF 10-11A, 126 Barrows) (Summer ‘05: MTuW 10-1230P, 175 Barrows. Also Spring ‘06). More info at: http://ias.berkeley.edu/lec/mnagler/pacs164b/ PACS 150, Conflict Resolution Peace Power Decal This course will investigate theories of individual and group con- Want to join? We need writers, editors, photographers, artists, lay- flict as a conceptual framework for practical application. Students out, web designers. Fall decal listed at calpeacepower.org will engage in practice as parties to conflicts and as third-party inter- veners. The course will look at the sources of conflict, including mul- Conflict Transformation Resource Center Decal ticultural aspects, and will emphasize the opportunities for growth Want to help build a conflict transformation program at Berkeley? and development in conflictive incidents. (Fall ‘05: TuTh 11-12:30, 200 Get trained in mediation, communication, facilitation, and preventa- Wheeler) tive education. We will have a fall decal, see ad p. 27. GTU*: Spirituality & Nonviolent Social Transformation PACS 154, Multicultural Conflict Resolution The course will explore the quests of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin This course will investigate the special issues involved with facili- Luther King, Jr., and Dorothy Day for justice through the method of tating resolution of cross/multicultural conflicts. Topics will include nonviolence. What were the influences--e.g., Emerson, Thoreau, cultural contrasts (e.g., values, communication, and problem solving Tolstoy,DuBois--that helped shape the zeitgeist of their times? What styles), mediator (facilitator/negotiator), credibility, cultural (includ- is essential to an effective nonviolent campaign? What were the faith ing gender) contributions to conflict resolution and unique ethical foundations of these extraordinary leaders? What were their rela- dilemmas. Course includes field immersion, conflict resolution tionships to their communities? How did they manage to keep their process evaluation and design, and the opportunity to participate in resolve in times of disappointments? (Spring ‘06, SKSM, T, 02:10PM- mediation of a cultural mediation. (Spring ‘06) 05:00PM) PACS 164A, Introduction to Nonviolence GTU*: Christian Social Ethics An introduction to the science of nonviolence, mainly as seen This course will consider the tradition of Roman Catholic Social through the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. Historical overview of Teaching and modern social ethics. Issues to be treated will include nonviolence East and the West up to the American Civil Rights move- Christian interpretations of violence and nonviolence, war and ment and Martin Luther King, Jr., with emphasis on the ideal of prin- peace, terrorism, global and domestic justice, human rights, cipled nonviolence and the reality of mixed or strategic nonviolence bioethics, and ecological ethics. In assessing these issues, we will in practice, especially as applied to problems of social justice and consider the interpretative perspectives of a consistent life ethic, lib- defense. (Fall ‘05: TuTh, 11-12:30, 213 Wheeler) eration theology and Christian feminism. (Spring ‘06: CDSP:222, M/TH, 11:10AM-12:30PM) GTU* is Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, www.gtu.edu 31 Also in this Issue:

Towards a Women’s Century of Peace

Compassion in the Israeli/ Palestinian Conflict

A Coalition on Abortion?

“Breathing Peace”: Spirituality in Action

Retrospective: Constructive Program in Montgomery

Editor’s Note: Our Vision